Clocks and Calendars 39 Zizuph Keeper 26 Sep
I have added one last big feature before we go live with Steam tomorrow.
Every domain in the realms now has a sun/moon/calendar system. A few share
clocks and calendars - Sparkle, Calia and Terel are together, since that seemed
like the most natural fit.
You can see details of the current time in your current domain, on the right
side of the menu bar. It will show you the position of the sun and moons (or
at least the moons that show themselves to you), as well as their phases. The
date, and season are also visible. Syb'arus, being deep underground, shows
what you can expect for a place of the Idrys.
You will notice the sun and moons rising and falling throughout the day, and
also when the seasons change where you are. You can use the 'time' command
globally, as well as examining them to get more detail.
As you travel across realm boundaries, the clock will update to show you the
details of where you are. This includes boats, as well as flying from place to
place. Note that this is a slight shift from before, which was inconsistent
based on the boat you rode.
For those that may walk the night and curse the Daystar, please note that
Sparkle now runs a proper set of hours, and night-time now properly exists in
those places. Calia and Terel used to use the Krynn clock for sunlight,
strangely enough. Raumdor still provides its darkness via cloud cover, but the
cycles of the sun will still affect your strength like it would in any other
realm.
With a proper contingent of moons in game now, this also opens up the
possibility of guilds or abilities that are lunar-based.
It took quite a number of changes to make this happen (I had to update 8000
files), but I think it is well worth it. This enables things like seasonal
soundtracks (like different day/night sounds for forests).
I hope everyone enjoys this update, and I look forward to seeing how the new
players react with the big Steam launch.
Z